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From being homeless to Forbes Under 30: This Indian photographer's inspiring story

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From being homeless to Forbes Under 30: This Indian photographers inspiring story

Vicky Roy shared his inspiring journey in a viral Facebook post.

Published: Fri 16 Aug 2019, 1:29 PM

Updated: Fri 16 Aug 2019, 3:38 PM

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From being a rag-picker and sleeping on streets, to making it in Forbes Asia '30 under 30' list, an Indian  photographer shared his inspiring journey in a viral Facebook post. 
Vicky Roy shared his touching story of hardships he faced as a homeless child on the popular Facebook page 'Humans Of Bombay'. His story left thousands inspired and his post on Facebook amassed over 32,000 likes, reported NDTV
In his post, Roy wrote about how he ran away from home at the age of 11 and arrived in Delhi hoping for a better life.
"But when I came here, I had to rag pick, sell water in trains and sleep in open grounds -- so that I wouldn't starve to death. I even worked at a dhaba as a dishwasher, they would make me work non-stop and the only thing I could eat was other people's leftovers," his post read.

His turning point in life came when he visited a doctor for treating infection but put him in touch with an NGO called Salaam Balak that helps rehabilitate abandoned kids. "There life got better. I'd get 3 meals a day, clothes to wear and a roof over my head. They even put me in school," Roy said in his post.
During that time a British photographer visited Roy's school and left him impressed.
"I was so fascinated by his work. Living on the streets showed me shades of humanity that I'd never seen before, and I wanted to show it in photos just like he did," Roy said. When he turned 18, the NGO gave Roy a camera worth Rs. 499 and helped him get an internship with a local photographer. Soon, he curated his first solo exhibition titled "Street Dreams" with the help of the photographer and there was no looking back.

"People started buying my photos, and I got to travel the world! I was invited to New York, London, South Africa, and even San Francisco! I'd never even imagined that I'd be able to change my destiny, to this extent," said Roy whose state



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